Shear Genius
It's been a long road on Shear Genius, littered with the burned-out shells of some genuinely awful hairstyles, some real talent that just fell short in a pinch. I can say confidently that I called two out of the final three finalists standing after the first episode.
I usually like the short-cut challenges on Shear Genius better than the elimination challenges. They seem to be less random than those on Top Chef, and they're usually laden with fun tricks or shameless ploys to make us pay attention (witness last week's challenge involving 6-year-olds going to first grade).
Sometimes Shear Genius can seem a little bit random. People who you know are talented struggle, and others whose continuing presence is an utter mystery remain safe. And sometimes people who brought something to the table with personality get the hook.
This week on Shear Genius was just, well, weird. If that's not redundant. Any episode of any show that can combine peanut butter, molasses, anchovies, dogs, and Jaclyn Smith in gold leather pants may have just gone over the edge.
I can honestly say that this week's episode of Shear Genius resembles nothing so much as my worst recurring nightmare: circus clowns and the '70s are alternately chasing and haunting me, and there's nothing I can do about it.
Hello, lovers of hair and drama! I'll be filling in for Lisa this week, and hopefully also getting some new inspiration for a much-needed haircut (I'm thinking bangs). This week's elimination challenge on Shear Genius takes a heavy emotional toll on the designers, and tests a completely new skill area.
If my hair were a person, it would be either an unruly teenager or a crotchety old lady that yells at kids from the front porch. It's a challenge for stylists and it never, ever looks the same at home as it does in the salon. I'd have been one of the last-chosen clients on tonight's Shear Genius.
Every time Jaclyn Smith says, "Your work was not Shear Genius" to someone on this show, it just cracks me up. And while I don't like to gloat over people's heartaches, when the right person is eliminated, it creates the illusion of justice in a world filled with chaos.
